Dear Family,
Thank you so much for
the love and support you give me. I love serving the Lord here in the state of
Washington! I know that the Lord is preparing the hearts of the people here to
accept the restored gospel and be baptized. Sometimes we get worried that
people will think we are pushy or intolerant of others for saying that being
baptized in this church is the only way to live in God's presence, but I know
that it's true. It also doesn't really matter what other people think, but it
only matters what God thinks. I know, and God knows that the only way to be
saved in the Kingdom of God is to be baptized by one who holds the proper
authority. Christ said in John 3:5, "Verily, verily I say unto thee,
except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God." I'm so grateful that I was able to be baptized by
priesthood authority. It can be hard to remain focused on the missionary
purpose, when all the world around us is in so much darkness, but I know that
it can be done. You just have to help people recognize that they need to have
faith in Christ, repent of their sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost, and endure to the end.
This week, we had an
African family come to church. (I'm just going to have to guess the spelling of
their names). Their last name is “T” (silent h). They are from South Sudan. We
have the father, “G”, the mother “N”, and their four sons “T”, “N”, “B”, and “L”.
“G”'s mother was there as well, but I forget her name. Unfortunately she
doesn't speak any English. Everyone else does. We met the “T” family last week,
but this time they stayed for sacrament meeting. I was able to sit next to “G”
in sacrament meeting. He and his family are coming to the Elder's quorum
barbecue this Saturday. This is the first time in my mission where I've
been able to teach entire families. I can see the value in doing so. First, you
are able to help more of God's children enter the waters of baptism. Second,
they could eventually be sealed for eternity in the temple. Third, they can
help strengthen one another in their resolve to live the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Think about it. One person learning the gospel by him or herself,
versus a family of eight or nine learning the gospel together. I know that the
family is ordained of God. It is the whole reason why God created the Earth in
the first place. I'm so grateful for you and the knowledge that we can be
together forever.
We'll probably have
another lesson with the “H” family this week. We haven't been able to see them
in a long time. I have the feeling they are the hot/cold type of investigators.
One week, they're super enthusiastic, and in a couple of weeks it dies down.
It's alright. We have a lesson with Brother “S” tonight. Sister “P” invited him
over to dinner on Sunday night as well. It's so cool to see members
that reach out to our investigators. That's the epitome of missionary work- to
reach out to strangers and welcome them into your heart and love them. Sister “P”
is the BEST member missionary I've come across. When she doesn't know someone
at church, she introduces herself. She always looks for opportunities to share
the Book of Mormon and doesn't get discouraged when people don't accept it. The
other day, she struck up a conversation with a gas station attendant and
related his tattoo to a scripture she read in the New Testament. That speaks
volumes. She also told us that every day she goes to bed early and gets up
early so she can pray, ponder, meditate, and study the scriptures. That is what
we should be doing every day. That is how you effectively share the gospel.
Most people wait for missionary opportunities to fall in their lap, but Sister “P”
prays for them and goes out of her way to find them.
We also visited a less
active sister in the ward and gave her a blessing. I offered the blessing and I
felt the spirit so strongly. I knew at that moment that God was working through
me to bless her life. When men exercise the priesthood righteously, they can
act in the name of God. I knew that I wasn't speaking, but the Lord was speaking
through me. I thought about how I could let God's power work through me in
other aspects of missionary work. In the blessing, the Lord promised this
sister great blessings through daily scripture study and prayer. Afterward, I
testified that the priesthood is a real power, and God uses it to bless the
lives of all His children. I testified that I wasn't speaking at all, but it
was the Lord speaking through me.
I hope all of you are
doing well and you have a great week!
Love,
Elder Herbert